ANY SIZE MATTERS

“We’re all really bad about talking about weight and eating,” says Miryam Jacobi (pictured on left). The director of online short film, Disorder, is hoping it will help create empathy and dispel some of the shame and misconceptions about a spectrum of eating issues. “It’s something we need to get better about,” she maintains. Disorder features interviews with five women and two men who talk frankly about their experiences, including dealing with anorexia, bulimia, orthorexia and over-exercising, and with over-eating. Funding came from Someday Stories, a Film Commission and New Zealand on Air initiative to encourage younger creatives. For 23-year-old actor/writer/director Miryam, the hope is Disorder will make a difference. From its subjects she learned that though recovery could be complex, asking for help was the necessary first step. “I’d love for it to go out to a 15-year-old girl — or boy — and have them feel like they’re not alone.”

During filming, the crew wore Any Size T-shirts designed by Nope Sisters and sold without size labels. These can be bought for $40, with $10 from each sale going towards the Eating Disorders Association.

Disorder will be available on a variety of online platforms. Miryam, who has a small production company with her fiance Jack Barry, hopes to go on to make other documentaries.

• Learn more and watch Disorder at Disorderdocumentary.com/disorder